Winter Warmth
by creativexspark
Summary: Liz loves Shiver. She's read the book at least a hundred times. She wishes she could live in the world of Grace and Sam. What happens when her wish comes true? Rated T just in case.
1. The beginning

**Disclaimer: This goes for the whole story. I don't own Shiver or anything related to it.**

**A/N: Hi! This is just a short chapter to start off the story. I really hope you like it, and please review!**

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**Liz**

"Bye Liz! Have fun! I'll pick you up right here at 2:46!" my mom yelled as I walked from the curb to the bus. It was just like her to check the schedule and see exactly when I'm supposed to get off. I hopped up the stairs and sat in a seat towards the middle. I didn't want to look to eager by sitting in the front, but all the cool kids sat in the back. Needless to say, I'm not part of the cool kids' group.

I unzipped my backpack and brought out my favorite book, _Shiver _by Maggie Stiefvater. It was one I've read a thousand times, and will probably read a thousand more times. I moved closer to the window, so that there would be room for my best friend, Bonnie.

I was lost in the book as I felt someone sit next to me. I snapped _Shiver_ shut and looked up, surprised. Bonnie was grinning at me.

"YOU GOT YOUR BRACES OFF!" I shrieked. Bonnie had braces since sixth grade. We were going into tenth grade now. Without her braces, she looked great. She was a complete contrast to me. While I was barely 5'2, she was 5'8 and half. She had beautiful, straight blond hair and a tan, and I had wavy brown hair and was pale. She had emerald green eyes, I had sapphire blue. We weren't the most beautiful people in school, but neither of us was bad looking.

"I KNOW!" she shrieked back. She took out a king size Snickers bar from her messenger bag, unwrapped it, and took a big bite. She was the queen of candy, and missed eating chewy things when she had her braces. Then she grabbed a bag of skittles and tossed it onto my lap. I shot her a grin as I tore open the red bag. I fed myself as I read for the rest of the ride, and only looked up when Bonnie stole a skittle and threw it at my head.

"We're here," she said with a 100-watt smile. We walked off the bus and into the heat. The weather wasn't unusual for Virginia. We made our way to the auditorium, where we received our schedules. I went to my first class, Algebra 2. I took a seat in the middle, because the same rules applied as on the bus. I looked to my left. A boy absentmindedly slid into the seat next to me. He was about 5'9, 5'10, with tanned skin and spiky dark hair. He looked at me with striking hazel eyes. I quickly looked away, because someone that good looking had to be popular, and I didn't want to be caught staring at him. It occurred to me, however, that I hadn't seen him before this class. Maybe he was new? I didn't let it bother me for long. As soon as the teacher walked in, I opened _Shiver_ and hid it under the desk. I read for the entire class, losing myself in the world of Sam and Grace.

I jumped as the bell rang. I noticed Bonnie waiting for me outside, and we continued through the day. The rest of the day was normal, as was the rest of the week. I learned that Mystery Boy's name was Brian, but that's it. I didn't know anything else about him. We never talked or acknowledged each other in class, and I didn't really mind. I could have sworn, though, that on the third day of school I caught him staring at me.

* * *

**Brian**

I was grateful for the heat. This year I was going to try to stay in school for as long as possible, which meant I had to stay warm for as long as possible. I got off my bus and pulled on a sweatshirt as I walked in to the air-conditioned high school. I could never be too careful. I went to the auditorium and got my schedule.

I listened to tidbits of conversations as I walked to my first class, Algebra 2.

"Like, omigawd, did you hear about Kelley?" said the girl who passed me on the left.

"Yes! She's, like, dating Jim!" said the girl next to her. Somehow, I knew they were cheerleaders. I winced as they squealed. Every other conversation I eavesdropped on was about the same. Kelley and Jim must be really popular. I also noticed that I stopped a few girls' discussions. I never gave much thought to how I looked, but I guess the girls liked me. Or maybe it was just the fact that I was the mysterious new guy?

I walked into class and slid into a random seat. When I looked at my neighbor, I saw she was a cute girl. She quickly looked away from me when our eyes made contact. I assumed she was shy. We didn't talk to each other at all; we barely even recognized each other's existence. That was fine with me. It's hard enough to have this…_curse. _I don't need a girlfriend, or any friends for that matter.

The rest of the week was normal. Every now and then I sneaked glances at the girl in Algebra, who I learn was named Liz. _If only I was a normal guy. Then I could be popular, have friends_… I stopped that thought. There was no use saying "if only, if only." I will forever be burdened with this condition.

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	2. Sweet Dreams

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! I caught that awful swine flu. Thanks for all of your reviews :) I'm so glad you guys like my story! In honor of NaNoWriMo, I'm going to try to update more often. **

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**Liz**

Bonnie threw her hot pink pillow at my head.

"Do you have to be reading RIGHT NOW?" She asked, somewhat aggravated. We were having our annual start-of-the-school-year-sleepover, but I was lost in Shiver. Since school started I must have read it a thousand more times, and each time it was as good as the last.

"Yes," I replied, not taking my eyes off the page.

"Well too bad. Because guess what time it is?" I groaned. "IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT BOYS!" As Bonnie rattled off the names of the twenty boys she had crushes on, my mind wandered to one guy. Him. It was like I could see his hazel eyes right in front of me, the way he chewed his lip when he was stuck on a particularly hard math problem.

"Hello? Earth to Liz!" Bonnie waved her hand in front of my face, waking me from my daydream. "You have a crush," it wasn't a question as much as it was an accusation. "LIZ SHAW HAS A CRUSH!" Bonnie screamed in my face. It _was_ pretty unusual for me. I haven't liked anyone since Garrett Barker in seventh grade.

"So who is it?????" Bonnie asked with a little too much excitement.

"Brian Blackwood," I mumbled.

"OEMGEEEE!!!!!!" Bonnie screamed so loud and so high pitched that I thought the window above her bed might break. She started rattling off the reasons why he was "crushable", while I zoned out. I wondered if he was thinking of me? I didn't want to get my hopes up, because I was sure that a guy as hot and popular as him wouldn't go for some bookish nerd like me. It just wasn't how it was done in high school.

Bonnie stopped talking when she realized I wasn't listening. She shrugged and went back to talking about her thoughts on tenth grade. That was kind of how our sleepovers always went. She talked, I listened. We were both fine with that. I had always been the quiet one, and she had always been the loud one.

When Bonnie ran out of topics, she lied down and closed her eyes. She pulled her pink covers up to her chin, and I soon heard her breath become soft and even. I barely acknowledged this and read well into the early morning. Eventually, I placed Shiver next to my plain blue sleeping bag and fell asleep. I dreamt of a werewolf with hazel eyes.

* * *

**Brian**

I sat in the family room, reading some crap that my English teacher deemed a "classic" and assigned to the class. I tried as hard as I could to focus, but my mind kept wandering to her. I thought about the way she always tuned out in math class and read, but still got perfect marks. It was a talent I was envious of. Perhaps I could have her tutor me? Then I could get to know her better… _No_. I can't think of any girl like that, especially with the cold weather coming. If I were to get attached to anyone, or if they were to get attached to me, it would end badly. I don't even know how many more years of changing back and forth I had left. For all I know, this could be my last year.

A flick on my left ear brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Pete's dark green eyes looking back down at me, his medium length blonde hair in his face. Pete was the only family I had left. When I was changed, he took care of me. In a way I thought of him as my father, although he's only 19, just four years older than I. All of the other wolves that I grew up with stopped changing back into humans over the years, so now it was just him and me. We refused to bite others and give them the curse that we have had to bear our whole lives. It was a lonely existence, but we were used to it.

"Hey Bri, whatcha up to?" he asked, flopping down in the soft armchair that was next to the sofa I was resting on.

"Reading," I said to him, then turned back to my page. I realized that I had been staring at the same words for over twenty minutes. This is bad. I have to get her out of my head.

"Doesn't look like it," Pete observed. He was always very perceptive. "You haven't turned the page in 20 minutes." So he noticed, too.

"There's just some stuff on my mind," I muttered, hoping he would leave it at that. He didn't.

"As long as it's just stuff, and not people. Winter's coming. We're having a hot year, but by November it's going to start cooling down. You can't afford to befriend any one," Pete reminded me. I nodded my head and closed my book. I turned so that I was looking him straight in the eye.

"It's a girl," I said. He would figure it out soon enough, and it was better to come out with the truth than just lie to his face and say I wasn't getting attached to anyone. Pete's only response was to raise one eyebrow. I took that as my cue to explain. "I can't really describe it, but she won't get out of my head. I've never been much of a romantic, but that's the only way I can say it. Everything I see reminds me of her, and I barely know her," I looked at Pete to register his reaction. The fun, jokey expression that's usually on his face was gone, only to be replaced with a serious, dark expression.

"This is bad, kid. You can't get emotionally involved with anyone. Probably ever." With that, he got up and walked out of the room. I placed my book down on the coffee table in front of me and headed upstairs to my room. I walked through a hallway of locked doors. The rooms that used to hold the others were now empty, except for mine. It was the second smallest and at the very end of the long hallway, but I refused to move into one of the bigger rooms out of respect for the ones who didn't change back this year.

I walked into my room and surveyed my surroundings. In front of me was a chestnut bed with a solid blue comforter and white sheets. To the left was a matching armoire, and a desk on the other side of the room was parallel to it. The walls were painted white. It was a plain, boring room, meant for someone living there temporarily.

I changed into my pajamas and turned off the lights. I dreamt of a brown wolf with Liz's eyes. I woke up and vowed that I would never change her.

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	3. A Conversation

**A/N: I'm so sorry that my updates are taking so long!!! Thanks so much for the awesome reviews :) **

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**Liz**

I shivered as I stood as the bus stop. It was unusually cold for September in Virginia, although it was supposed to warm up to at least 60 degrees in the afternoon. However, it was only 40 degrees as I stood there at 7 AM. After what seemed like hours of the torturous cold, the yellow bus came lumbering down the road. I hopped on quickly, and took my usual seat in the middle of the warm bus. I was one of the first ones on, so I plugged in my ipod and started listening to some music. I turned it up so that it drowned out the hum of the news station that the driver had put on. For once, I was too tired to read.

As I gazed out the window of the bus, I couldn't help but think about the dream I had at my sleepover with Bonnie. It had been repeating itself every night. It started out with me standing in my backyard, which faced a forest. It felt like summer, but it was snowing. I stood there in flip flops and shorts, the white snow gathering around me. I watched as it piled higher and higher, and then stopped. I wasn't cold, but the snow was freezing when I bent down and touched it. That was when I noticed the wolf. Its hazel eyes looked at me, and I was instantly reminded of Brian. I walked closer to the wolf, holding out my hand to pet it. As I made contact with his soft fur, he changed. Suddenly, my hand was on Brian's chest. His hazel eyes looked straight into mine, and then I woke up.

It was the strangest dream, but I figured it was probably because of my midnight readings of _Shiver_. I mean, it's practically the same concept. Girl falls in love with boy, boy changes into werewolf when it gets cold, etc. I decided not to read too much into it, even though it was keeping me up at night.

Bonnie hopped onto the bus, already snacking on a Twix. I paused the song that was playing and took out my earbuds. Bonnie tossed me my usual pack of skittles, and I was grateful for the sugar. This way, I wouldn't fall asleep during my morning classes.

We walked off the bus and into the school. I waved goodbye to Bonnie and we headed to our first periods. I was one of the first people in the classroom. Everyone else was talking their friends out in the hallway, but I preferred to get some extra sleep. I carelessly dropped my backpack and slid into my seat. I was about to put my head down when someone started talking to me.

"Did you get number two?" said a deep voice next to me. I looked over and saw Brian looking at me expectantly.

"Excuse me?" I had forgotten the question because the dream had popped into my head again.

"Number two on the homework," he clarified.

"Oh, right," I was fully awake now. This was the first conversation I had had with Brian, and my stomach was doing flips. Not a good mix after eating a bag of candy. I pulled out my homework and handed it to him.

"It's just factoring. All you have to do is make sure to subtract 180 from both sides and make sure the equation is quadratic," I explained as he looked over my work. He nodded and copied down my answer.

"Thanks," he said with a smile. I smiled back and placed my paper on my desk. There wasn't a chance of me falling asleep, so I opened up _Shiver _and I read. Of course I had been reading another book as well, but I left it at home and took that book instead. I was so tired that I didn't care, as long as I had something to read.

"You read that book a lot," I heard Brian say from the desk next to me. I closed _Shiver_ and looked at him.

"It's really good," I offered as an explanation.

"What's it about?" I couldn't tell if he was genuinely curious or not. We had never talked before this, so I thought that maybe he just wanted something, or felt like he owed me for the answer on the homework.

"You wouldn't like it. It's more of a girl's book," I said. Half of me hoped he would leave it at that and leave me alone, but the other half hoped that he'd ask for more.

"You'd be surprised," he replied.

"Well, it's about this girl, Grace, who was attacked by wolves," I began. Something changed in his expression, but it was so fleeting that I couldn't tell what it was. "And she falls in love with a wolf that saved her from the others- it's a love that's kind of hard to explain- and she finds out that the wolf is actually a human boy named Sam. They fall in love, but they're faced with Sam's curse. See, he changes into a wolf whenever it's cold-" I broke off. His face had drained of color, and his expression was one of fear mixed with confusion.

"Let me see that book," he said briskly. He snatched it away from me and read the inside flap of the dust cover. "I'm taking this with me," he said almost angrily, but then regained his manners. "I mean, if that's alright with you, Liz."

"Actually," I said, "That's a signed copy. I don't lend it out. Sorry," I gave my best sorry face, but he just dropped the book on my desk and left the room. I didn't see him for the rest of the day.

* * *

**Brian**

I couldn't believe it.

A book. About us.

It was unimaginable, unthinkable, incomprehensible. A book about the curse. _My_ curse.

I thought back to Liz's bewilderment over my range of emotions. I was only curious about what made the book so compelling that she had to read it over and over again every day, and ended up becoming brisk and impolite. I probably should have offered up some lie as an explanation for why I left. I'll explain to her tomorrow. That is, if I'm still human tomorrow.

I walked to a corner of the school near the locker rooms, where no one ever went. I pulled out my cell phone, thankful that there was reception.

"Pete," I said when he picked up. "Something… odd just happened. This girl-"

"What? Did you hurt her?" Pete cut it, panicked.

"No, nothing like that. She had this book," I hurriedly explained.

"You're calling me about a book? Can't this wait?" He must have been in the middle of something important. What that could be, I had no idea.

"No, you see this book- it's about-" I tried to justify my call until he cut me off again.

"I have to go. You can tell me about this _book_," he said almost disgustedly, "later." The line went dead. I groaned and shoved the phone back into my pocket. I ended up just walking around the school, almost in a daze. I sat down and thought about the book. I wondered about what it said. I went to the library and searched for it on every bookstore's website, but nothing came up. It's like it didn't exist. Liz had the only copy I knew of.

I had to find out more.


	4. Ping

**A/N: I'm really sorry that it's been taking so long to update! This is a short chapter, but I promise that exciting things will happen in the next couple of chapters. **

**Liz**

I replayed the conversation I had with Brian this morning over and over again. I tried to figure out what I had said to aggravate him, but I came up blank. I wondered if it was such a good thing to have a crush on him, considering his mood swings. But could I really call it a crush? I didn't think so. There was just something about him that intrigued me. I didn't know what that was, but I did know that I wanted to get to know him better.

I sighed and gave up on my homework. I IM'd Bonnie to see what she was doing. Maybe that would get my mind off Brian.

_lizard_s: _ _hey_

_queenofkandy: supp_

_lizard_s: got some stuff on my mind. care 2 distract me?_

_queenofkandy: cant. moms yellin at me 2 do hw. gtg b4 I get grounded. buhbye!_

_queenofkandy is offline._

I groaned. I was about to go back to my homework when I heard my computer _ping._ Thinking Bonnie somehow escaped the evil clutches of her homework, I turned back to the screen. It wasn't Bonnie.

_BrianB: hey liz_

My heart skipped a beat.

_lizard_s: hey brian. how did you get my screen name?_

_BrianB: I asked around. whats up?_

It was a vague answer, but I had a feeling that that was the most I was going to get out of him.

_lizard_s: just doing hw. you?_

_BrianB: same. sorry I stormed out today. where did u get that book?_

_lizard_s: Shiver? it was a gift. _

_BrianB: I haven't been able to find it at any bookstore._

_lizard_s: you seriously want to read it?_

It took him a second longer to reply.

_BrianB: its on a topic that's interesting to me._

_lizard _s: what? werewolves?_

_BrianB: I have to go. sorry._

_BrianB is offline. _

He confused me. He wanted to know more about werewolves? I suppose everyone has their interests. But he, of all people, didn't seem like the werewolfy type. But then again, who was I to stereotype? I shut down my computer and changed into my pajamas. I didn't really care about my homework; one grade won't make a difference when I have A's in all of my classes.

I turned off the lights and curled up beneath my covers, falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Brian**

I hoped I didn't tell Liz too much. I don't want her ever knowing about my secret. In fact, it would probably have been best for her if I didn't say anything. But it was too late for that. Now, I have to do whatever I can do to get that book from her.

I turned my computer off after signing out, and went back to my homework. I only had one assignment left, and I decided not to do it. One grade wouldn't make much of a difference. I was about to "transfer" schools, anyway. And by "transfer", I meant turn into a werewolf.

I don't know if it was the thought of changing or a draft, but I suddenly became colder. I shivered for a second, but it was nothing close to transforming into a beast. I pulled a gray sweatshirt on over my long sleeved tee and jumped into bed. I wrapped the covers around me tightly, and fell asleep to the noise of Pete typing on his laptop. 


	5. Breeze

**A/N: I'M REALLY, REALLY, _REALLY_ sorry! I really meant to update sooner, but things got in the way. I PROMISE to try as hard as I can to make the next update come quicker.

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**Liz**

I yawned and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I waited for the bus. It was absolutely freezing this morning, as it was mid November. Weeks have passed since my last encounter with Brian, and I suppose it was for the better. He always seemed kind of depressed, and he never put in effort into what he was doing. I still caught him staring at me.

I boarded the school bus and sat down in my usual seat. Bonnie joined me not too long after and gave me my daily candy bar. The sugar woke me up and gave me the energy needed to survive another school day. Bonnie and I talked about our weekends. She went shopping and bought a new top, I stayed home and read. In other words, our weekends were perfect. I jumped off the bus in a generally good mood because I didn't foresee anything going wrong that day. I had no tests, no projects, and three of my classes were just watching educational videos, which meant I could zone out and read. Bonnie and I said our farewells and headed off to our individual first periods.

Brian was sitting in his seat, as usual. I had no idea when he got there, but he was always the first one in the room every morning. He was staring straight at the chalkboard, not moving. This was usual for him, too. Like I said before, the kid acted strange.

The teacher called the class to order, and before I knew it, Algebra was over. Each class melted into the next, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye it was the end of seventh period. The class was packing up as the teacher reminded us about various assignments and their due dates. It was one of the classes I shared with Bonnie, so she came up to my desk and asked me if I was taking the bus home or staying late for something.

"I'm going to do some research in the library," I told her. Her face fell a little; I knew she would be lonely on the bus.

"Text me when you get home, 'K? We'll hang and you can help me with my math. It's killing me," with the last sentence she smiled and walked off. I smiled back and packed up my things.

* * *

**Brian**

I felt bad for being so distant with Liz. I really liked her, but it was dangerous for me to get attached. I acted as uninterested as I could in her, and in anybody else for that matter.

The day was over and I didn't quite feel like going home. Pete had changed already; he didn't wear enough layers last week. I was doing as much as I could to keep my humanity. I walked through the empty corridors of the school, encountering only two or three students who were staying after school for one reason or another. I had left my coat in the library with the rest of my stuff. I didn't think I would need it in the warm school. As I passed an open door, I felt an ice cold breeze. My skin crawled and I fell to the ground. I tried my best to get out of the way, but I changed more and more easily each year. At this rate, this could be my last year.

* * *

**Liz**

I heard screaming.

There was no one else around, as it was already 4 o'clock. Everyone else had gone home, but I had stayed. I don't know why I did; something just told me that I wasn't supposed to leave. Not yet.

I ran down the hallway, closer to the screaming. It was coming from the very back of the school, and it sounded distinctly male. I ran and ran and finally came upon an inhuman figure writhing in pain in front of the entrance to the tennis court. I stayed a good twelve feet away from the monster. It seemed to have a human structure, but its nails were long and curved, and it was hairy. The arms and legs seemed more animal than human every second.

Something in my gut told me not to get anyone.

"Are you okay?" I called from my safe spot. The animal made more sounds. But one sounded distinctly like _help_. I took a step closer, and the creature looked straight at me.

Brian.

I gasped and stumbled backwards, surprised that this beast could be Brian. There was no mistaking it, though. It had the same face, the same eyes.

"HEAT," he yelled the word clearly, and it was definitely his voice. I shrugged off my jacket and tossed it over him. It did little help. I ran into the storage closet not ten feet away, and pulled out some kind of tarp the janitors must use when they repaint. There were a good five sheets, and I tossed them all over Brian. There was a box of surplus gym uniforms; I tossed those on him, too. The shaking was slightly more infrequent. I leaned over him and closed the doors. The cold breeze was immediately replaced by the heat of the school, and Brian's convulsions had slowed considerably. I fell to the ground and hugged him as my last resort, providing him with my body heat. He clawed at me, but I knew I had to do it. He was still yelling _heat_, and I knew he needed my warmth, no matter how much he seemed to fight. I was pretty good at dodging his swats, but his hands- more like paws, I subconsciously noted- scratched at my face. I could feel the sting across my cheek, but the blood trickling onto my shirt barely registered. I squeezed him tighter, and saw his body transform back to normal. Eventually his shaking had stopped all together, and all I heard was our heavy breathing. I slowly pushed myself off of him, and he pushed himself up and sat cross legged, covering himself with the tarp. His face was sweaty and pale, and I'm sure I looked no different. The gash across my face was really stinging, and my reflection in the glass paneling of the door showed that I was covered in my own blood.

"I'm sorry," Brian whispered.

I just shook my head in disbelief. I loved _Shiver_. I wanted to live in Sam and Grace's world.

Now I'm not so sure.

* * *

**Brian**

I hurt her.

Not only that, but she saw me as I was transforming.

She saved me.

I stared at her after apologizing. The way she looked at me was not different from the way others looked at me when I was a wolf. She thought I was a monster.

I guess I deserved it.

I got onto all fours and slowly crawled away from the door. She was still there, sitting on her knees. She was stunned, I suppose. I know I would be.

When I was safely away from the door, she stood up. Without a word, she walked off. Her face was still bloody and starting to swell.

I forgot to ask her to keep what she just saw a secret.


	6. Wrong Stop

**A/N: I know that this one is short, but at least I updated :)

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**Liz**

I silently walked to the bathroom and washed my face. My left cheek had swelled considerably, and the wound itself stretched from the corner of my eye to right above my mouth. I studied myself in the mirror. I was still shaking and my hair was askew. I took it out of its ponytail and shook it out. I let it cover the left side of my face so that the gash was barely noticeable. I washed the blood off of my hands, but could do nothing about the stains on my shirt. I walked back to the library, where I had left my stuff, and gathered it up. I looked for my jacket, but realized I had left it with Brian. Whatever. He could keep it.

I waited outside for the public bus to come. Luckily, it was there within ten minutes. My fingers and toes had started to go numb. I flashed the driver my bus pass and hopped onto a seat in the back. I plugged in my earbuds and put on a slow, relaxing song. I closed my eyes and tried to forget what I just saw. Pretend it was a dream. Pretend I would wake up at home, in my favorite pajamas, only to find that this never happened.

* * *

**Brian**

I put on Liz's jacket. It was a little tight, but it looked decent. I walked to the library and put my jacket over Liz's, got my stuff, and left. I saw Liz waiting outside for the bus, and I figured it would be better if we didn't ride together. I went back into the library and picked up a thick book. Its cover was torn and its pages were ripped, but I didn't care. I probably wanted to forget this as much as Liz did. Her bus came and I watched her get on. She seemed perfectly normal, like absolutely nothing happened.

My bus came about ten minutes later. I checked out the book and brought it on with me. My house was about five stops away and it would take a good forty minutes to an hour to get there. I settled into a seat in the back, where there were less people, and read.

* * *

**Liz**

"Hey! You!" Someone was gently shaking me.

"Five minutes…" I said sleepily.

"I ain't your mother. Get off my damn bus!" With that my eyes snapped wide open and I saw the face of the bus driver. He was missing a tooth and looked angry.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Where are we?" I asked in a panic.

"Last stop, now get off!" I got up and off the bus, without asking where the last stop was. I looked at my watch. 7'o clock. My mother was going to kill me. I looked both ways, and I found that I was in a neighborhood. The houses were all pretty shabby; some had crumbling bricks and holes in their roofs. It wasn't an ideal neighborhood to be in at night. I flipped open my cell phone to call Mom, but it was off. I tried turning it on, but it wouldn't. Great. No battery. And no more buses. I checked my pockets. I spent my last dollar on a candy bar after school.

I was screwed.

I walked down the sidewalk that skirted along the neighborhood, looking for a pay phone. I almost ran to one when I spotted it. I picked up the phone, but there was no dial tone.

Just my luck.

I walked into the neighborhood, hoping I could find someone who seemed friendly and would let me use their phone. It wasn't the best, or the safest, idea, but it was all I had left. I passed a house with a broken window, and another one with a woman in the yard. She was obviously high, so I decided to skip past her.

I walked farther and came to what was probably the nicest house in the neighborhood. It was larger than the others and actually looked like someone took care of it. A couple lights were on, so I took my chances and knocked on the door. I heard footsteps come and the sound of locks being turned. I braced myself and brushed my hair in front of my wound. I didn't want to scare them. The door opened.

I gasped. 


	7. The House

**A/N: I'M REALLY SORRY. I didn't realize how long it's been since my last update. I kept telling myself "Write! Write!" but then I got caught up in Snowpocalypse. Also known as Snowmageddon. Or my favorite, Snowtorious BIG. Anyway, it's here now, so enjoy!

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**Liz**

I stood there, looking at him. Any other day and I would have been happy to run into him, but after what happened today… I just can't bear to be around him.

Unfortunately, he was my only hope of getting home.

"What are you doing here?" Brian asked. He looked as surprised as I was.

"I'm really sorry. I fell asleep on the bus and the driver made me get off and my phone is dead and I have no money and no way to get home and can I just use your house phone? I promise I'll be really quick," it all came out in one breath. Wordlessly, Brian stepped aside and held out his arm, beckoning me in. I reluctantly walked past the threshold, and followed him to his kitchen. His phone was mounted on the wall.

"Thank you so much," I said as I took the phone off of its hook. I dialed my home number and held the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" my mom had picked up on the other end.

"Mom? Listen-" I began.

"Oh Liz! Is that you? I was so worried! I called Bonnie's mother but she said you hadn't been at their house. And when I called the school they said you weren't coming to the front office when they paged you!" Typical Mom. She was always overprotective of me.

"I'm fine. I stayed late to work on a project and took the public bus. I- uh- got off at the wrong stop. I'm at my friend's house. I know them from school," I tried not to use the word "him" because I knew it would set off alarms.

"Oh, ok. Give me the address and I'll pick you up." I mouthed _address_ to Brian and he wrote it down on a piece of paper. I read it back to my mom.

"Oh, that's far," I could hear the frown in my mother's voice. "It'll take me about half an hour to get there, 40 minutes if there's traffic," she said before she hung up. I gently placed the phone back in its cradle, and turned back to Brian.

"I'm really sorry about this," I apologized. He just shrugged.

"Don't be. I'm glad that you're using my phone and not some stranger's. I wouldn't trust some of the people that live around here," he said. "Do you want a first aid kit for your face?"

I touched my fingers to my cheek. I had forgotten about the scratch.

"Yes, Please."

He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a little white box with a red cross on it. He opened it and took out some disinfectant.

"I'll do it for you. I have some experience. Now tilt your chin up," he said as he brushed my hair behind my ears. When his fingers touched my face, something passed between us. It felt like static electricity, but it was a tingly sensation instead of stinging. I could tell he felt it too. He pulled his hand away quickly.

* * *

**Brian**

This was bad. I was falling for her fast. She was beautiful, even with the gash across her cheek. The gash from me. After that odd sensation passed between us, I quickly looked away. I uncapped the disinfectant spray.

"I'm not going to lie. This is going to hurt a lot," I said, trying not to put too much emotion into it. She gave me a small smile and squeezed her eyes shut. The wound hadn't quite scabbed over yet, so the spray would help. I sprayed it across her cheek, and saw her cringe.

"There. It's over," I told her softly. She opened her eyes, and I smiled.

"Thanks," she said. Our eyes met each other. We stood there, just looking at each other for who knows how long. She turned her head away and started digging through her bag, which she had put on the counter next to us.

"I should probably put a little bit of makeup on it so my mother doesn't go berserk," she explained. Liz took out a small compact and started dabbing at her wound. It made it look less red, but there was no way she would be able to hide it completely. When it looked only a little better, Liz sighed and closed the compact.

"That will just have to do for now," she said. There was an awkward silence between us.

"Do you want to sit down?" I asked. She nodded, and I led her to the den. I sat on one end of the soft couch, and she sat on the other.

"You probably don't want to talk about what happened today, but I think we should," I started off. Liz said nothing. "As you have probably guessed, I'm… well, I'm a werewolf." I heard a sharp intake of breath from Liz. Still, she said nothing. I continued. "I was bit when I was younger. I live here with other people like me. It's just me now; everyone else has already changed. You see, when it gets cold-"

"When it gets cold you changed into werewolves. You change back in the summer. After a while you don't change back; but the amount of changes varies for different wolves." Her eyes finally met mine. She shrugged and pulled a book out of her bag. _Shiver_.

"I guess this is why you wanted to read the book so badly. You're like something straight out of it. " She held the book out to me, and I grabbed it from her hands. I flipped through it, skimming each page.

* * *

**Liz**

I watched him as he turned the pages. He was fascinated with it; that much I could tell. If I hadn't seen him almost change with my own eyes, I would have thought that this was some cruel joke that someone was playing on me to get me to stop reading the book all the time. To be honest, this was not the world I had imagined Sam and Grace to inhabit. Now that I knew it was real, it frightened me more than a little.

"There's one thing you might be interested in, if this is all actually real," I said quietly. His head snapped up from the book, and he locked his eyes with mine. I took this as my cue to continue. "There's a cure for being a werewolf." I could see a thousand emotions flit across his face when I said that. There was confusion, happiness, fear, puzzlement, and others that I couldn't quite place.

"What… what is it?" He whispered. I thought back to what Grace had called it in the book.

"Liquid summer," I whispered back. "In the book, this girl had injected meningitis into a werewolf, giving him a really high fever, and that was supposed to get rid of the wolf. The first one died, but she only injected half of the meningitis into the second one, and he lived. But the book ended, so I don't know if he had any side effects or anything," I explained.

"Doesn't matter," said Brian. He got up and started pacing. "If we can find the meningitis, then I don't have to be a wolf. I can be normal," he sat back down on the sofa and wrapped me in a hug. "Oh, thank you Liz, you don't know how much this means to me," he said when he pulled away. He started to lean in to me, and my thoughts raced. He was about to kiss me.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Oh, that must be my mom," I said. I got up quickly and ran to the kitchen to get my things, and I heard Brian open the door. My mother was going to go ballistic once she found out I was with a boy, and there weren't parents home.

"Hi Mrs. Shaw," I heard him say. "I'm Brian Blackwood," I came out of the kitchen as he was shaking her hand.

"There you are, Liz!" She said. I made my way over to Brian.

"Thank you for letting me use your phone," I said.

"It's no problem. It was nice talking with you," he gave me a smile and turned to my mother.

"Are your parents home, Brian?" my mom asked as she eyed his house uncertainly.

"Actually, my father is home, but he just ran to the bathroom about two seconds ago. He was snacking on some pizza, but I'm afraid his lactose intolerance got the best of him. He wanted me to say hello for him though," I was surprised by how easily his lie came.

"Oh, well tell him I say hello as well. I'm afraid Liz and I must be going now, so thank you for taking care of my daughter," She flashed a smile and pulled me out the door. I got into the car, turned on the radio, and pretended to nap to dodge further questioning. All I could think about where how we would get our hands on meningitis, and how he was about to kiss me. 


	8. A River Called Denial

**Yeah. There isn't really an excuse for not updating in so long… **

**I know this is REALLY short, but it's better than nothing. Right?

* * *

**

**Liz**

I got home and went right to bed. Once again, I barely did any homework. I wouldn't be able to process French and algebra after hearing about Brian being a… a werewolf.

I still hadn't come to terms with that, either. It's like something right out of a fantasy book. In fact, it IS something right out of a fantasy book. I pulled the covers closer around me as I went over the day's events in my head. Did I really want to get mixed up in this? And do I really want to get mixed up with Brian? I mean, he was going to _kiss _me. I sighed and settled into sleep. I'd figure it out… tomorrow.

The next morning came too fast. I decided not to tell Bonnie what happened, because she would never believe me anyway. So there I was, sitting in math class, waiting for Brian to show up. I was reading some book that I got from the school library. I didn't want to think about Shiver.

I heard him slide into his seat. I saw him turn to look at me out of the corner of my eye. I pretended to ignore him and kept reading.

"Hi," he said to me. He sounded uncertain. I was too. Were we friends now? Acquaintances?

"Hi," I smiled and said back. Luckily, the teacher started the class then. I focused on nothing but algebra for the next hour, and was the first one out of my seat when the bell rang.

"Liz!" I heard him shout. "Wait up!" I stopped walking, even though I wanted nothing more than to run. I didn't want to get mixed up in helping him; it was dangerous.

"I know where we can get a fever-inducing drug. But, we're going to have to steal it. Are you up to a little robbery with me?" The way he said it almost convinced me.

"No," I said finally. "No, I don't want to do that. I'd rather just stay out of this werewolf business," with that, I turned and walked away. I could feel his eyes on my back, but I didn't turn around.

* * *

**Brian**

I spent most of the night researching fever-inducing viruses and bacteria, but I couldn't figure out how to get a hold of any of them without being a doctor or a nurse. I had to find some way to convice Liz, because I just can't do this alone. 


End file.
